Celebrate Mother’s Day with health and strong bones

As a mother, you’re constantly being strong for everyone else. This Mother’s Day, you must get stronger for yourself too – in fact, it’s the best way to take care of your family too. This 13th of May, make your bone and muscle health a priority for not just this year, but the years to come. To help you set a strong, healthy example for your friends and family, here are five essential steps to improve and maintain their bone health.

Make physical strength a priority – mentallyIt’s tough, but you’ve got to first accept and prioritise the need to get healthy. Being physically confident helps you get up with more energy, and also do everything you need to do. You might need to re-order your schedule, or take a call on an item to drop, or perhaps hire help to take care of chores – just to free up time for yourself. Everything starts with this first step.

Eat strong, get strong

Your body needs plenty of nutrients, especially calcium, protein, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D – all bone building nutrients. Vitamin C’s antioxidant benefits also protect your bone cells from damage. Milk, tofu, nuts, veggies and eggs are just a few of the foods you must incorporate into your diet regularly. You can also stock up on Women’s Horlicks, a health drink designed for maintenance of healthy bones in women. It contains Calcium, Vitamin D and Vitamin K2, which are important nutrients for bone health.

Find out about your medical pastForewarned is forearmed. What genetic factors have you inherited? Can your family history influence your future? Are you at risk for osteoporosis? Have you had any fractures or bone issues that need to be considered? Get an annual regular checkup, as well as try to investigate your present state of health – you won’t know how to proceed if you don’t know where you’re starting.

Get a bone deep workout

When you work out, your bones respond to the stress by building more cells, and thus density. Brisk walking, lifting weights, hiking and more means better bone strength.

Avoid habits that could negatively impact youSmoking, over-indulging in alcohol or fat-heavy diets, sitting for too long, choosing convenient fast food regularly – these are all lifestyle factors that could have detrimental impacts on your health. Moderation is key to good health, and the odd burger won’t hurt. But smoking, alcohol and any other addictive substances are best cut out immediately.

“The views, opinions and recommendations expressed in this article are solely those of the author and intended as an educational aid. Please consult your doctor for professional advice concerning specific health/medical matters”